German journalist Mesale Tolu released from Turkish prison

BERLIN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- German journalist Mesale Tolu has been released from Turkish custody following a corresponding ruling by an Istanbul court on Monday.

However, while Tolu was allowed to leave jail, she must still remain in Turkey throughout the duration of her trial and report to police on a weekly basis. The trial is scheduled to commence again in April.

The journalist was imprisoned on charges of being a member of a terrorist organisation and spreading propaganda for over seven months. As one of at least eleven German citizens who were arrested in a government crackdown after the Turkey's failed 2016 military coup, Tolu's arrest contributed to growing strains on the traditionally-close diplomatic ties between Berlin and Ankara.

Speaking to the press after his daughter was freed, Mesale Tolu's father Ali Riza Tolu expressed confidence that German-Turkish relations would now improve again.

"Soon, Deniz Yuecel will be free," Ali Riza Tolu said in reference to another German journalist who remains in Turkish custody.

The German government has repeatedly urged Turkey to release all Germans jailed on political grounds in the country, including Deniz Yuecel, and threatened to impose both national and European Union (EU) economic sanctions otherwise.

Mesale Tolu and 17 other suspects are believed by state prosecutors to be members of the left-wing extreme MLKP group which is classified as a terrorist organization in Turkey. She is accused of having attended two memorial services for female Kurdish fighters who lost their lives in combat against the so-called "Islamic State", as well as a women's rights demonstration and a funeral for members of a forbidden party.

Tolu rejected the charges at the start of her trial on Oct. 11, but her appeal to be released from custody was at first denied by the court. The journalist's spouse Suat Corlu was temporarily imprisoned in Istanbul as well, before being set free earlier on Nov. 28.

Monday's court session marked the second day of hearings in Mesat Tolu's anti-terror trial. Journalists and other members of the public were largely excluded from the judicial proceedings as Turkish security authorities claimed that there was not enough space in the court room to accommodate all of those who wished to attend.

Nevertheless, German Left party (Linke) politician Heike Haensel succeeded in securing a place for herself and shared her impressions of the trial. According to Haensel, Tolu's lawyers had demanded the liberation and acquittal of their client, emphasizing that she had only done her job as a journalist.

Despite Tolu's release, the Left party politician called on Berlin to exert more pressure on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Enditem